Slow Burn
by ZenDog16
Summary: A series of Beth/Daryl related one shots. Set as if Beth was rescued alive from the hospital and reunited with the group. Covering the back half of season 5 leading up to and after their arrival at Alexandria.
1. On The Road

As soon as the pack of dogs appeared they all knew what they were going to do. Rick stood up and pulled a knife from his belt, his teeth gritted and his face determined. He wasn't going to let his family starve. He glanced at Daryl, who stood up as well, loading his bow quickly and deftly. Daryl hoisted it up to face the growling pack and with a nod from Rick, took down the two largest dogs with quick shots between the eyes. A third was caught messily in the flank as it turned to run. The dog yelped in pain as the arrow hit him. Bleeding and distressed, it continued to whimper and cry as Daryl pulled his own knife from his belt.

Beth clenched her fists and had hold back her own whimper at the dogs' distress. It continued to struggle on the ground as Daryl approached it. With a quick swipe of his blade, its throat was cut and the dog was dead. He glanced over at Beth quickly, a look of guilt flashing across his features. Beth didn't blame him though, the time for being fussy about their food was long gone.

"I'll get us some fire wood," she said sadly. She stood up and crossed the road towards the more densely wooded land on the other side.

Beth was almost at the trees when Daryl called her name. She turned back to see him offering out his gun. Beth hadn't carried a gun since they had rescued her from the hospital. There had not been enough to go around so only the best shots carried weapons and she made do with her knife. But wandering alone in the woods was always dangerous these days.

Beth crossed back to Daryl and took the weapon, her fingers brushing lightly against his own.

"Thanks," she said quietly, catching his eyes briefly before turning and disappearing into the trees.

They hadn't talked much since Beth was rescued. After the initial joy and relief of the reunion, they had both felt strangely awkward around each other and Beth had found herself avoiding Daryl's mostly silent company. Then they had lost Tyrese and things had just kept getting harder. It was a battle just to keep on moving at this point, so everything else was put on hold.

Once Beth and a few of the others had gathered enough firewood, it only took a few short minutes for the meat to be sizzling away. Beth avoided looking at the carcasses heaped nearby and told herself it was just beef as the meal got handed around. But in the end, it didn't matter where it came from. It was the most they had eaten in days and they devoured it.

Unfortunately, the food did nothing to help with their dehydration. Beth had been supporting a pounding headache for 2 days now and every time she stood up she felt increasingly dizzy. If anything, after finishing the meal she found herself even thirstier than before. When a bird called shrilly from the branches above her, Beth looked up and a wave of vertigo overwhelmed her. Suddenly her vision clouded at the edges and she found herself on the verge of passing out. She dropped her head into her hands and stayed as still as she could until the dizziness had passed.

There was a sharp clang as a tin can was dropped to the ground and Beth looked up to see Daryl on his feet. He hoisted the bow over his shoulder and without a word, strode determinedly towards the forest.

"Daryl," Rick called, "Where are you going?"

"We need some damn water," Daryl said, not looking back.

"Daryl!" Rick called again, but he was gone. Rick's mouth twisted in frustration and he made a move to stand but Carol stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go," she said, standing up.

Rick looked at her and then nodded. Carol picked up her empty water bottle and followed Daryl into the trees.

She caught up with him 20 yards away from the road, where he was picking his way down a gentle slope. He glanced over at her, but didn't say anything, so the two of them continued to make their way down the side of the hill. They hadn't seen fresh water in days, but if there was still some around it made sense that they might find it in the gully at the bottom of the slope.

They had only gone a few hundred yards when they heard the tell tale moans of approaching walkers. Daryl spotted them through the trees first, a group of six ambling along not far away. He would have hoped to avoid them, but they had already caught sight of the two of them and their cries increased as they scrambled up towards Carol and himself.

Daryl took the first two down quickly with his bow, but by the time he had reloaded again the other four were on top of them. He swung the bow into the head of the walker approaching him, smashing its skull against the hard metal of the handle. The impact put him momentarily off balance and by the time he had righted himself again another walker was grabbing at him. It forced him back until he was pressed up against a tree, the walker gnashing its jaws in his face and soaking him with its putrid stench. Daryl had the thing by its collar, holding it barely inches from his face. With his other hand he reached frantically for the knife in his belt, but his fingers fumbled to grab it and he found it just out of reach. The walker lunged and snapped where Daryl's face had been only moments before.

Then a sharp gunshot ran out and the rotted face in front him exploded, showering him with blood and brains. The walker was dead, its lifeless body collapsing onto Daryl. He shoved the corpse to the ground and looked up to see Carol holstering her gun. Another walker that had met the end of her knife lay at her feet.

"You shouldn't have given your gun away," she said, matter-of-factly.

Daryl only grunted in reply, wiping bits of walker gunk off his face.

"I mean it," Carol said, "You can't protect her if you're dead."

Daryl turned to pick up the crossbow before glancing over at Carol, "She needed it," he said shortly.

Carol pursed her lips but didn't say anything else. They set off down the slope again, more watchful now for the presence of walkers. The forest was silent and stifling, the heat of the day pressing down on them despite the shade of the trees.

A few hundred yards later Carol spoke again, "What happened between the two of you?" she asked.

Daryl hiked the bow a little higher on his shoulder and didn't reply, keeping his eyes on the uneven ground.

"Something changed after the prison, didn't it?" Carol insisted, "What was it?"

Daryl turned sharply towards her, "You wanna talk about after the prison?" He said tersely, "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

He glared at her, waiting for a response. Carol looked back, silent and impassive.

"Didn't think so," he muttered, turning away. He had only gone a few steps before her voice called out to him.

"I think she saved my life."

Daryl stopped, his grip on the crossbow strap across his shoulder tightening and releasing.

"She saved your life too, right?" Carol asked quietly.

Daryl half-turned back towards her now, not quite meeting her eyes. Beth had saved his life. If it weren't for her, he would have simply given up.

Daryl glanced up at Carol, "She's stronger than she knows," he murmured.

Carol gave him a small smile and nodded in return. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm. Squeezing it gently she said, "I'm glad you had each other."

Daryl didn't quite meet her eyes before she was gone, carrying on down the hill to look for water and leaving him with a tangle of emotions that he couldn't quite decipher.


	2. The Barn

Beth had left the groups makeshift camp in the woods in a huff of annoyance after her sister had insisted that Beth should drink than her share of the water for the third time. She was sick of being treated like someone who needed to be protected; surely she had proven by now that she could look after herself. She didn't know where she was heading but she needed to be away from their claustrophobic camp for a little while. With little water and almost no food, tempers were starting to wear thin.

Away from the camp, the forest air was heavy and stifling. The buzzing of insects droned loudly in her ears and the heat pressed down from above. Beth wiped her forehead and pushed forwards. Up ahead, she caught site of an opening in the dense trees and made her way towards it.

She broke out of the trees to find herself standing on the edge of a small green field. It was largely occupied by an oversized double-doored barn. She hesitated at the tree line, watching for any signs of life. The field was quiet and still. Knowing that she should probably go back to get the others but feeling brave and rebellious, she pulled her knife from her belt and crept out of the cover of the undergrowth.

Beth had barely covered ten yards before she was startled by a voice calling to her.

"Don't bother," the rough voice said, "It's empty."

She turned towards the sound, her knife raised slightly higher. It was only then that she spotted Daryl seated underneath a large tree on the edge of the clearing. She hadn't even realized he had left the camp.

Beth let the knife fall to her side and reached up to shade her eyes from the glaring sun with her other hand. She glanced towards the barn again.

"You're sure?" she asked. It looked big and cool. Any chance to get out of this heat would be worth the risk of running into a walker.

"Just a shotgun and a couple of bodies," Daryl said, indicating to the shotgun now resting against the tree next to him, "Don't smell too good," he added.

Beth wrinkled her nose. Unfortunately, she could imagine well what a dead body in this heat might smell like. With that unappetising thought she decided to abandon her search attempt and instead made for the cool of the trees near Daryl instead.

He was sat leaning against a large fir tree, the shotgun and crossbow both resting nearby. Beth moved into the shade and dropped her rucksack to the ground. She sat down, folding her legs under herself and glancing over in Daryl's direction. His careful eyes watched her for a moment and then shifted down to his lap where he rolled an unlit cigarette between two fingers. She was suddenly very aware that this was the first time they had been alone together since the funeral home.

Beth looked up at Daryl's face again, remembering that moment of clarity across the kitchen table that felt like a lifetime ago now. How long had it been? A month? Maybe two? Beth wasn't sure. She had wanted to speak to Daryl since they were reunited but with everything that had gone on, there just hadn't been time. Now she finally had her chance and she found the words sticking in her throat.

"Carol told me what you did for me," she said, hesitantly.

Daryl looked up and met her eyes. His face was as intense as ever and she almost lost her nerve under his gaze. But she swallowed and ploughed onwards determinedly.

"She told me how you looked for me, and how you left the others to follow that car to Atlanta…"

Daryl dropped his gaze, his long dark hair falling into his eyes but not quite hiding his discomfort. Beth reached over and touched his arm lightly. He looked up then to meet her eyes, his own cautious but clear. She gave him a small self-conscious smile.

"Thank you…" She said, "I think you saved me."

"Nah, Beth," he said quietly after a moment, "It's the other way 'round."

A look of confusion flashed across Beth's face.

"After the prison," Daryl said, "If you hadn' been there…" He trailed off.

Beth understood. Daryl had almost given up then, he had almost forgotten what it meant to survive. It wasn't until the moonshine house that he had truly started to live again and that was because of her. Maybe he was right; maybe they had saved each other.

Beth thought about it for a moment and then smiled at him again, her eyes bright, "Call it even?" she asked.

Daryl looked unsure for a moment, but catching her expression, he gave a small half smile and a nod.

"Yeah, we're even Greene."

For reasons she couldn't quite understand, Beth suddenly felt like a great weight had been lifted off her and she couldn't help but smile even wider. She shuffled over on her knees and wrapped her arms around Daryl's shoulders, holding him tightly for a moment. He smelt of cigarettes, sweat and leather.

"I missed you, Daryl Dixon," she whispered softly in his ear.


	3. An Audience

It was another warm day in Alexandria. Maggie and Glenn had decided to make the most of the weather and start on planting the crops. They had planned out a large area of land in the middle of the community, which had good quality soil and plenty of access to water. Maggie had been collecting seedlings from the various houses for weeks now, getting ready for planting.

It was exhausting work; digging, planting and watering. Maggie thought longingly of her father's machines back on the farm that had made this job that much easier. She was wiping the seat from her eyes for the umpteenth time when a bright loud laugh carried across from the nearby houses.

Maggie looked up, shading her eyes from the sun she saw her younger sister sitting on the porch steps of their house with Judith on her lap. Daryl was sat next to them, his half-finished motorbike parked nearby and some part of it in his hands as he carefully took it apart to clean it. As Maggie watched, Beth laughed again at something Judith had done, her golden hair glinting in the sun. Daryl offered up a rare half smile in return.

"What do you think about that?" Maggie asked, suddenly.

Glenn looked up from where he had been digging and followed her gaze across to the porch and their two companions. The murmur of their voices just carried across to where Glenn and Maggie stood but not loud enough that they could make out the words.

"Beth and Daryl?" Glenn asked, standing up and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Maggie nodded, still watching them closely.

Glenn looked at the two of them again, watching as Daryl reached across to tickle Judith lightly on the stomach causing her to squirm and giggle in Beth's arms.

Glenn shrugged, not quite sure what his wife was getting at. "They're close," he replied, "They seem to be good for each other."

"Hmm," Maggie said, clearly unconvinced.

Glenn shoved his spade upright into the ground and placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "It's Daryl babe," he said, reassuringly, "You've got nothing to worry about."

Maggie's eyebrows lifted and she looked at her husband, "Its not Daryl that I'm worried about," she said, pointedly.

Glenn paused to consider that. "You think Beth…?" he trailed off, uncertainly.

Maggie raised an eyebrow at him and gave a small smirk, "She is a teenager," she said, "And its not like she has a lot of options."

Glenn let out a short huff of laughter and turned back to the houses, watching Beth and Daryl with renewed interest. They _were_ close; they had been ever since the prison. They made for a fairly odd couple, the quiet redneck and the bubbly blonde, but somehow they had ended up closer to each other than anyone else. Surely not in the way Maggie was thinking though. Glenn couldn't imagine Daryl being romantic with anyone, and what would bright and sunny Beth see in the quiet older man.

He shook his head in disbelief and looked back to Maggie. She found she couldn't help but laugh at the dumbfounded expression on his face. Glenn smiled back and wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, pulling her close.

"Maybe we should warn him?" he said, with another grin.

Maggie shook her head, "A teenage girl with a crush," she replied, "He'd be terrified."

Glenn laughed and placed a light kiss on the top of her head. "She could do a lot worse, babe," he said, only half joking.

Maggie gave him a playful smack on the stomach causing him to double over in mock pain. She laughed again. It was a relief, Glenn had found, to be able to laugh and joke again. It had been so long since they had felt safe or comfortable enough to do so. He squeezed Maggie's hand gently and then picked up his shovel again, Beth and Daryl already forgotten as they turned back to their work.


	4. Insomnia

Beth didn't sleep well. She hadn't since arriving in Alexandria. Well since the farm really, but it paid to sleep badly on the road. When any sound might be someone approaching to kill you, sleeping lightly could save your life. But in Alexandria, it felt like a curse. Beth tossed and turned until the hours stretched out for so long she started to think she might never see daylight again. She found the softness of the bed and the quietness of the house more disconcerting than the hard ground and the nighttime noises in the forest that she had grown used to.

When she did sleep, she had nightmares. They all did. More than once she had been woken by the cries of one of the houses other occupants. And when she gave up on sleep entirely, she often wasn't the only one roaming the quiet house waiting for dawn to creep through the windows.

It was 3am when Beth finally gave up on sleep that night. She threw back the covers and sat up, pressing the heels of her hands into her tired eyes in frustration. Outside, she heard an owl hooting and the quiet rustle of the trees, but the house was quiet. She slid across her bed towards the window, the moonlight catching on her pale skin. It was a warm still night, and dead quiet below her second story bedroom.

Beth could just see the end of the hammock Daryl had strung up on the porch next door, preferring to sleep outside than in the claustrophobic bedrooms. Usually she could spot his boots sticking out from underneath the porch but not this evening. The hammock was empty. She moved closer to the window, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. She scanned the yard and caught sight of his dark form hunched over on the porch steps, his bare arms visible in the moonlight. As she watched, the spark of a cigarette glowed momentarily orange and then blinked out again.

With all chance of sleep that evening gone, Beth turned and picked up her boots. She pulled them on and threw a hoodie on over her t-shirt. She padded quietly out of her bedroom and down the hallway. At the top of the stairs, a dim light spilled out from under the door to Maggie and Glenn's bedroom. She crept passed it, and moved lightly down the stairs to the front door.

Daryl heard the soft groan of the front door opening and then clicking closed again a moment later. He looked over to see her distinctive silhouette moving down the front steps and across the damp lawn towards him.

"Hey," she said, giving him a faint smile as she moved into view.

"Hey," he grunted in reply, taking a drag of his cigarette, "You're up late."

"So are you," she replied, her eyes twinkling.

Daryl didn't answer. But after letting out a cloud of smoke, he slid over to make room for her. Beth smiled and moved over to the steps. She sat down next to him, folding her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees as she sat.

They didn't say much, just sat watching the night around them. The moon was bright and full, lighting up the yard like it was twilight. It was quiet and still. Beth watched Daryl bring the cigarette to his lips again, inhaling deeply only to let the smoke escape again a few moments later.

"Can I try?" she asked.

"Hell no," came his quick and gruff reply.

Beth's forehead wrinkled with annoyance. "I thought you weren't gonna be my chaperone anymore," she said coolly, "I'm not a kid, Daryl."

Daryl looked at her like he was weighing her up, his face guarded.

"I've done a lot worse than smoke a cigarette," she said.

He couldn't argue with that. He held out the cigarette and Beth took it gingerly between two fingers, trying to look like she knew what she was doing. Daryl watched her carefully as she bought it to her lips.

Beth inhaled deeply just as she had seen him do. Instantly, the smoke started to burn her throat causing her to cough and splutter. The taste almost made her gag. She exhaled immediately in a short puff of smoke.

"That's disgusting," she gasped, still coughing.

Daryl let a grunt of amusement and took the cigarette out of her hand. "Yeah, don't make a habit of it," he said, "Your dad'd be turnin' in his grave."

Beth's mouth twisted a little and she looked away.

"… Sorry," Daryl said quietly after a moment, "'Shouldn' have said that."

"No, its okay," Beth replied softly.

They were quiet for a few minutes again. Daryl finished the cigarette and stubbed it out nearby. He leaned back on the step behind, stretching his legs out in front of him. Beth gazed up into the night sky and the carpet of stars stretched out about them.

"Do you remember that night at the moonshine house?" She asked suddenly.

Daryl nodded; he didn't think he would ever forget that night.

"We thought we had lost them all, remember?" Beth said, softly, "We thought it was just the two of us from then on…"

She trailed off before turning towards him, her face all expectation and warmth. Daryl met her eyes and found he couldn't look away.

"We found them again, Daryl. Of all the people and all the chances, we found them. Like a miracle." She smiled, "I'm always going to miss my Dad, but being here with you… Rick, Carl, Glenn… It's like I'm with my family again."

She watched as Daryl's eyes flickered across her face for a moment, before he nodded.

"Guess it is," he murmured.

Beth reached over and took his hand, slipping her cool fingers between his and squeezing gently. It was an easy and comforting gesture that made Daryl feel warm and relaxed. After a moment, Beth dropped his hand and shuffled closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed gently.

Daryl stayed still, listening as Beth's breathing gradually evened out. It didn't take long before he knew she was asleep. Her breaths came soft and slow. He looked down to her face, where he could just see a few stray blonde hairs floating backwards and forwards from her lips with each breath. Daryl's eyes tracked down and skimmed across her pale legs poking out of a pair of tattered shorts. She looked thin and small, almost fragile. But the cheek pressed against his shoulder felt soft and warm.

Daryl didn't understand Beth. He didn't understand how her mind worked or where her endless optimism came from. Her bright smile and easy laugh felt like a foreign language to him. When her big blue eyes twinkled back at him, she made him feel like a wild dog trying to understand a butterfly.

But he liked the way she made him feel. As she leaned against his shoulder, he felt warm and relaxed. Lately, he had found himself looking for her whenever he entered a crowded room. His eyes would search for her across the kitchen or around the lounge in the evening, and a slight tightness in his chest would release when he saw her. He worried for her safety constantly and had to resist the urge to follow her when she left the house. And with more and more frequency, her face would appear in his head or her soft voice would ring through his ears, distracting him as he worked.

Daryl realised all of these things, but if you had asked him what the girl meant to him, he wouldn't have been able to tell you. All he knew was that she was a candle in the darkness and the longer he stayed in her presence, the more of it he needed.


End file.
